Cost-Effective Network Reordering Using FPGA.

Area of Science:

• Computer Engineering
• Network Engineering
• Embedded Systems

Background:

• Internet of Things (IoT) devices increasingly rely on high-throughput, low-latency network connectivity.
• Limited memory and power constraints in IoT devices challenge traditional packet reordering solutions.
• Existing FPGA-based packet reordering methods suffer from design flaws leading to packet loss.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a scalable, hardware-focused packet reordering method for IoT devices.
• To address limitations of existing solutions and overcome design flaws in prior FPGA implementations.
• To optimize resource usage and maintain low time complexity for efficient packet handling.

Main Methods:

• A pipelined approach is employed for parallel packet sorting, completing operations within two clock cycles.
• A two-layer memory management system optimizes Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) resources, minimizing on-chip memory and register usage.
• The design is engineered for scalability to support multi-flow applications utilizing shared memory on a single FPGA.

Main Results:

• The proposed method achieves efficient packet reordering with minimal resource utilization.
• The design successfully overcomes blocking issues present in previous FPGA packet reordering research.
• The solution demonstrates scalability for handling multiple data flows concurrently on a single FPGA.

Conclusions:

• The developed hardware-focused packet reordering method offers a robust solution for demanding IoT network environments.
• This approach enhances data integrity by preventing packet loss and improving network performance.
• The design's efficiency and scalability make it suitable for next-generation, resource-constrained IoT applications.